If you can't afford a good bur grinder, this is better than a whirly blade.

Positive Product Points

Over this was definetely a step up from my whirly-blade grinder. It can grind fine coffee well.

Negative Product Points

I to suffered a broken knob on this machine. The plastic tabs for the hopper are fragile. When grinding medium to coars coffee (for french press) there is a LOT of dust which makes mud.

Detailed Commentary

When I first got this machine I loved it. Compared to the whirly blades it is awesome. As I learned more it started to bug me. On the coarse setting you might want for a french press or vacuum pot with a corty rod this machine makes a ton of dust. That leads to lots of mud and sediment. I also had the knob break like many other people have. The tabs that hold the hopper are are fragile. The demo unit in the store was broken and upon inspection it is obvious how easy it would be to snap one. It also tends to make a bit of a mess when in use. My love of this machine has turned to tollerance of this machine.

Buying Experience

I bought this machine locally and it worked out of the box. No problems except as noted above.